16 August 2014
With their sneakers laced up, families, friends, office workers, students and runners are expected to gather in Manila before daybreak on Sunday, August 17, to run for the cause of technical vocational education.
The Run for ASEAN Gold will be held to promote tech-voc education and to raise funds for the Philippine delegates to the 10th ASEAN Skills Competition in Vietnam this October.
Secretary Joel Villanueva, Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Manila City Mayor Joseph Estrada and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno will lead some 8,000 participants in kicking off the three-kilometer run that will begin at the Parade Grounds of Rizal Park.
"We want to tap into the Filipinos' love for running and turn it into an activity that will help further the cause of technical vocational education and training," Villanueva, the events ceremonial runner, said.
"Specifically, we are doing this to help raise funds for our delegates to the ASEAN Skills Competition, who will be doing the country proud as they showcase their skills and try to win the gold," he added.
The delegation will be composed of 18 competitors and 16 coaches, who will take part in various competition areas during the skills event.
The country's official competitors have emerged as winners from the regional and national skills competition held earlier.
The holding of the skills competition is one major strategy that TESDA has adopted and has, for the past years, elevated the image of tech-voc graduates and skilled workers at par with those of other ASEAN member countries as proven by its winning records since joining the previous international skills competitions.
In the forthcoming 10th ASEAN Skills Competition in Vietnam, the Philippine delegates will compete in the following trade areas: Electronics, Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering Design, Welding, Cooking, Beauty Therapy, IT Network Systems Administration, Industrial Automation, Hairdressing, Graphic Design Technology, Electrical Installation, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning, Restaurant Service, Web Design, IT Software Solutions for Business, and Fashion Technology.
"We hope this fun run will boost the morale of our delegates to do their best, knowing that the Filipino people is backing them all the way," Villanueva said, who also thanked the individuals and groups who helped organize the fun run.
Registration of participants will start at 4 a.m. to be followed by a Zumba dance as a warm-up activity for the runners at around 4:30 a.m. The opening program is at 5:30 a.m. and the race proper starts at 6 a.m.
The first 100 finishers will be awarded with a Finisher's Certificate. The first three male and female finishers will be awarded with prizes by Villanueva and assisted by TESDA-National Capital Region (NCR) regional director Nenuca Tangonan and Alliance of TVET School Association of NCR president Jose Gabriel Prats.
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